St Mark's Academy Action research 2014 by Mark Morren

Action research St Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church of England Academy 2014 Edited by Anna Riggall

Welcome to CfBT Education Trust CfBT Education Trust is a top 30* UK charity providing education services for public benefit in the UK and internationally. Established over 40 years ago, CfBT Education Trust has an annual turnover exceeding £100 million and employs more than 2,000 staff worldwide. We aspire to be the world’s leading provider of education services, with a particular interest in school effectiveness. Our work involves school improvement through inspection, school workforce development and curriculum design for the UK’s Department for Education, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), local authorities and an increasing number of independent and state schools, free schools and academies. We provide services direct to learners in our schools and in young offender institutions. Internationally we have successfully implemented education programmes for governments in the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia and work on projects funded by donors such as the Department for International Development, the European Commission, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development, in low- and middle-income countries. Surpluses generated by our operations are reinvested in our educational research programme. Visit www.cfbt.com for more information. * CfBT is ranked 27 out of 3,000 charities in the UK based on income in Top 3,000 Charities 2010/11 published by Caritas Data

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Welcome to St Mark’s Academy

Contents

St Mark’s Church of England Academy is an 11–18 academy situated in Mitcham, South London. It offers a commitment to high achievement within a community of care, underpinned by the and spiritual well-being of students alongside their academic success. The academy works closely

Foreword by Tony McAleavy, Development and Research Director, CfBT Education Trust

with, and is supported by, its sponsor, CfBT Education Trust, and its key partner, the Southwark

Introduction by Lisa Peterkin, Principal, St Mark’s Academy

1 | Have Year 8 and 9 geography students benefited from regular formal assessments with leveled marking criteria and detailed feedback?

Christian values of hope, love and trust. The academy encourages the development of the moral

Diocesan Board of Education. Our vision at St Mark’s Academy is to raise the achievement and life chances of our students and to serve our community by providing access to a range of activities, first-class resources

2 | Revision techniques

moral and spiritual well-being as much as their academic success.

3 | The Joint Practitioner Development Programme

We are inclusive of all faiths, as well as none, and support unity between different religions, cultures

4 | An investigation into middle leaders’ perceptions of distributed leadership at St Mark’s Academy

5 | How do success criteria shape students’ experience of creative writing?

6 | Strategies to support EAL pupils with writing

7 | Intervention strategies: which are perceived as the most useful by staff and students?

confidence, understanding and skills in these areas and beyond into the broader curriculum.

8 | Using marking and feedback to create ongoing dialogue between students and teachers

Contributors

9 | A study into Year 9 behaviour

Amina Khatibi, Anna Elgar, Bianca Magalhaes de Resende, Claudette Bailey-Morrissey, Clementine

10 | Differentiation for pupils with English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs

11 | Mastering mathematics through the use of peer collaboration and student leadership

and opportunities. As a Church of England academy, we encourage development of our students’

and beliefs. All our students are individuals and all are valued for their uniqueness and the skills and aptitudes they bring to the academy. A key strength of St Mark’s is the very high quality relationships that exist between members of a highly diverse school community – the academy has a strong set of values shared by all. The academy is situated in extensive grounds in a pleasant greenfield location with first-class resources. Our specialisms in Science and Performing Arts support our students to develop

Murray, David dos Santos, Debbie Wiles, Favour Ogundele, Hamza Mehmood, Hannah Fahey, Josh Coulson, Karen Taylor, Katrina Villanueva, Klaudia Zbikowska, Omar Uddin, Rachel Sewell, Rebecca Hooker, Ricardo Veloso, Stella Gbolonyo, Tamoor Rahim and Verona Morina.

Please cite this report as follows: Riggall, A. (2014) Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014. Reading: CfBT Education Trust.

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of CfBT Education Trust. © Copyright CfBT Education Trust 2014 All rights reserved

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Foreword

Introduction

Tony McAleavy, Development and Research Director, CfBT Education Trust St Mark’s Church of England Academy is an exemplary model of what can be achieved with a little research support and a lot of teacher-led enthusiasm and drive. For four years teachers at the school have been working, with senior members of staff and with their students, to investigate a wider range of pedagogical and educational issues. The drive to engage in research continues to be supported and encouraged by the leadership at the school. The topics are generated by the staff and also, for the first time this year, by the students themselves in response to needs they perceive in their school and their classrooms. The culture at St Mark’s is one which promotes experimentation, reflection and dedication to improvement. Research has played a role in the improvement journey of the school during the past four years and continues to play a role in driving improvement as staff and students aspire to achieve the Ofsted grading of ‘outstanding’. Key things continue to be important

Tony McAleavy, Development and Research Director, CfBT Education Trust

in practitioner research at St Mark’s. These include the commitment of leadership to drive, prioritise, encourage and support research activity and to allow practitioners the opportunity to take risks. Support from the CfBT research team continues to play a part with ongoing support offered at key times in the annual research cycle: the development of research questions, methods, analysis and reporting. Finally, the ongoing willingness and enthusiasm of practitioners and students continues to be vital. Research activity at the school continues to provide a means by which improvement priorities can be addressed. It provides meaningful opportunities for involvement by staff and students in these setting and addressing these priorities, it is a vehicle to create topics for debate and a mechanism through which people in the school community can be brought into those debates. More and more, the research provides opportunities for the students too and is a way for students and staff to work alongside one another in the drive to improve the school as well as the outcomes for young people. Not least, research continues to be something to celebrate and be proud of within St Mark’s.

Tony McAleavy Development and Research Director, CfBT Education Trust

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

1 Have Year 8 and 9 geography students benefited from regular formal assessments with leveled marking criteria and detailed feedback? Josh Coulson, Head of Humanities

1.1 | Overview The aim of this research project was to explore the student experience of assessments in Key Stage 3 geography, with a view to developing a better understanding of the most effective assessment and marking strategies at the classroom level. The findings could have a wide reaching impact on the way in which we support improved pupil progress within the subject. To achieve this I assessed how successful the academy’s recommended assessment strategies had been with a Year 8 and Year 9 geography class, exploring in particular their opinions on the structure, frequency and feedback from assessments. The aims of the research were threefold: • to gain a better understanding of what students thought was of most benefit in relation to assessments and marking strategies at the classroom level • to develop my own practice and ability to support my students through assessment and marking • to provide some information that would be of benefit to other practitioners who wish to develop in this area.

1.2 | Context St Mark’s Academy has developed considerably as a school since it opened in 2006 after the closure of Mitcham Vale. Faced with the challenge of changing the negative reputation of the previous school, St Mark’s used its Christian ethos and values to drive positive transformation. After being given ‘notice to improve’ in its June 2009 Ofsted inspection, the academy was graded ‘satisfactory’ in September 2010 and then ‘good’ in October 2012. The academy is now pushing towards its goal of being recognised as an ‘outstanding’ school. One potential barrier to achieving this is pupils’ academic achievement, which is still not as high as the academy would like. This is a particular concern in geography where, despite a 34 per cent improvement in results at Key Stage 4 last year, attainment remains below both school and national goals. GCSE results across the academy, despite showing gradual and sustained improvement, remain below target, and a closer analysis exposes the biggest area for improvement – Key Stage 3 attainment and progress. Analysis of data for recent years has shown that students make closer to one sub-level of progress each year in

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Wish

I need more work on…

Star

I am good…

Can identify a link between plate tectonics and earthquakes and volcanoes Basic understanding of earth’s structure

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Level Achieved

Target Level:

Displays a detailed geographical understanding of the plate boundaries and the location of earthquakes and volcanoes around the world Makes clear links between plate boundaries and the reason why the UK does not have earthquakes and volcanoes

Basic understanding why the UK does not have earthquakes and volcanoes Basic understanding of earthquakes and volcanoes

Defines key words (e.g. earthquakes, volcano, plate tectonics)

Can draw links between the earth’s structure and the location of earthquakes and volcanoes Basic understanding of conservative, constructive and destructive plate margins

Writes in paragraphs Communications geographical ideas in a simple way

Can explain how plate tectonics causes earthquakes and volcanoes

Includes labelled diagrams to show why earthquakes and volcanoes occur at different plate boundaries Gives an example of a place that has earthquakes and volcanoes

Will use a variety of geographical words Will use some simple geographical words

Can explain why the UK does not have earthquakes and volcanoes

Will correctly use complex geographical words

Level 6 Level 5 Level 4 Level 3

Figure 1: Example of a marking grid (a Year 8 geography assessment)

The new structure of assessment in the academy has required staff to ensure that students are given time to prepare for the assessments, including revision materials and a clear guide on what is needed to achieve certain levels. This takes the form of a detailed grid (see below), which identifies the skills needed to achieve different levels in any subject. Finally, in the lesson following the assessment, students should be given detailed feedback from their teacher, including their level, two stars, a wish and a challenge question, which they should respond to on a designated ‘responding to marking’ sheet.

Level 7

The reaction to this has been a major drive in the academy to increase Key Stage 3 attainment through designated assessment weeks that take place once every halfterm. Previously teachers decided when and how students should be assessed – now there is a whole-school approach, which involves formal assessment at a designated time, every half-term. In these assessment weeks students sit a formal assessment in every subject that they study. This is meant to mimic the challenge of revising for, and then sitting, several exams in a short period of time – something they experienced previously only when they reached their GCSEs.

Will correctly use a wide variety of geographical words

Key Stage 3, rather than the expected two sub-levels. This subsequently puts increased pressure on Key Stage 4 progress, which has to close the gap instead of supporting students beyond their targets.

Will accurately use a wide range of complex geographical words

Have Year 8 and 9 geography students benefited from regular formal assessments with leveled marking criteria and detailed feedback?

The intended outcome of this new whole-school approach was: • to support improvements in attainment • to prepare students for future formal assessments through regular practice • to increase understanding of what is required to achieve a certain level in each subject. In implementation of this over the past year some minor adjustments have been made. For example, the half-termly assessment week has become an assessment fortnight to reduce the strain of marking on teachers, and increased importance has been placed on literacy, with all marking and feedback addressing literacy errors and provision of both a literacy and a subject-specific target for all pupils in all subjects. In line with the changes, I have implemented the half-termly assessment weeks and used the level grid and detailed marking proforma rigorously in my Key Stage 3 geography lessons, working collaboratively with a colleague to plan assessments and supporting materials. I have also worked on developing the whole-school assessment feedback sheets, including a proforma where students respond to their marking.

regular assessment weeks that had taken place and looked in particular at whether students thought they had played any part in supporting them to make progress in the subject. The questionnaire provided high level data from all Year 8 and 9 classes whilst the focus group discussions provided an opportunity to discuss similar questions in greater detail with a smaller number of pupils.

1.4 | Key findings Students’ responses to the new formal structure of half-termly assessments accompanied by a levelled marking grid and detailed marking were largely positive. Students did not say that they ‘enjoyed’ doing the assessments as such, but nearly all surveyed said that they did think that their levels had improved as a result. Students appreciated the detailed marking and feedback that they received – nearly every student said that the feedback they were given meant that they knew exactly what they needed to do to make progress.

1.4.1 Findings from student questionnaires A total of 66 students reported that the structure of the assessments and the assessment sheets have helped them to make good progress in geography. This is an overwhelming majority.

Setting and marking assessments takes up a considerable amount of time: both valuable lesson time and non-contact time. In order to make the use of time as effective as possible and ensure pupil progress, it is important to examine the ways in which this whole-school marking policy is thought to be effective at the classroom level, and also where it could be improved. My research explored the student experience of the new whole-school approach to assessment, particularly with regard to the benefits it offers pupils in relation to improving progress in Key Stage 3 geography.

The format and structure of assessments did not dampen student enjoyment of the subject, with 66 students saying they enjoyed studying geography. None of the students who were given the questionnaire said they did not enjoy the subject (seven could not decide if they enjoyed it or not). This was backed up by the highest-ever number of Year 9 students choosing to take geography as a GCSE option (a total of 90 students), making it the most popular optional subject at St Mark’s. It would be interesting to explore further the correlation between changes in assessment and feedback and the popularity and relevance of the subject.

1.3 | Methods

Altogether 53 students thought that a half-termly assessment helped them to make progress in geography. Furthermore, 66 students reported that their assessments were marked in a lot of detail, and 63 agreed that the way their assessments were marked helped them to know where to improve, to gain a higher level in future assessments.

The methods used were qualitative and quantitative. The data was collected mainly via a detailed anonymous student questionnaire that was given to all Year 8 and 9 classes (73 students in total) at the end of the academic year after all six assessments and feedback cycles had been completed. Focus group discussions were also held with students representing a range of different abilities. The questions in both of these focused on exploring students’ experience of the

Students were positive about the role of challenge questions, 52 students (just under three-quarters) saying that challenge questions help them to make progress.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Have Year 8 and 9 geography students benefited from regular formal assessments with leveled marking criteria and detailed feedback?

The question that provided the biggest division in opinion concerned the benefit of having assessments for every subject in a fortnight period. A total of 47 students (a majority) said that having all their assessments in one period helped them to focus and succeed, whereas 11 (a notable minority) said that having assessments together was counter-productive to progress. These students would prefer their assessments for different subjects to be spread out across the half-term rather than all being in the same fortnight. A total of 65 students said that the structure of assessments meant that they knew what was needed to achieve a certain level and make progress. This highlighted the effectiveness of the grid that informed students of what was required to achieve a certain level, and it also revealed that students responded positively to their target (or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) set out in their previous assessment. The survey showed that students knew what they had done well in assessments and also what was required to make further progress.

Figure 2: Responses by geography students in Key Stage 3 about marking and assessments

I am given enough resources to help me revise for Geography assessments I am making good progess in Geography I have enjoyed studying Geography Having all my assessments fortnight helps me to focus and do well in assessments I have found answering challenge questions useful in making progress in Geography My teacher gives me useful comments so that I know how to improve in my assessments My teacher marks my Geography assessments in a lot of details An assessment every half term has helped me to make good progress this year I feell that the assessment sheets have helped me to make good progress in Geography this year The regular assessment sheets mean I know what to do to get high level in Geography 0

Strongly agree

Slightly agree

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

Neither agree or disagree

Slightly agree

Action research at St Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church of England Academy 2014

Strongly disagree

Have Year 8 and 9 geography students benefited from regular formal assessments with leveled marking criteria and detailed feedback?

1.4.2 Findings from focus groups

1.5 | Reflections

Students of different abilities and ages agreed that the structure of the assessments gave them a good chance of success. One student summed up the general view of the students questioned, concluding:

The evidence from students’ questionnaires and focus group discussions showed that the changes to the format and marking of assessments has been positively received by students in geography. The challenge moving forward is threefold. Firstly, the pressure of marking the assessments in the amount of detail required to fulfil all of the whole-school expectations has been substantial this year. Whilst anecdotal evidence from staff suggests that the move to a fortnightly assessment week has been well received, the number of assessments that need to be marked remains high, particularly in a subject like geography where teachers see Key Stage 3 classes only once per week (this means teachers teach more classes and more pupils than subjects timetabled more frequently during the week). This pressure will only increase next year with lessons becoming shorter, which means that the number of different classes taught by each teacher will increase, thereby increasing the overall quantity of marking. There should be a concerted effort to find ways to make the assessment marking process more efficient for teachers wherever possible.

‘I know what to do to get a higher level because of the assessment sheets which break the levels down very clearly, and also because of feedback from previous assessments. I know what to expect and what is expected of me and this helps me to make progress.’ Students said that the process of revision, assessment and then feedback, whilst drawn out, was positive and they could see the purpose of each stage. Most students who took part in the focus groups reported that the evidence of progress and success provided by the assessment changes actually led to an increased enjoyment of geography. Students were also given an opportunity to comment on how the process could be improved, and they reported room for improvement in two areas. Firstly, some suggested that it would be beneficial to receive the assessment levels sheet prior to the assessment, as had been done in some cases but not consistently. This is a simple area that can be improved for next year. Secondly, students agreed that not all subjects had the same format of assessments. They would like to see increased consistency across different departments.

1.4.3 Other findings Although there is not enough data to make a conclusive argument about the impact of this structure and format of assessment, the indicators are positive. A comparison of levels of progress this year in geography at Key Stage 3 compared to previous years shows a notably higher percentage of students achieving or exceeding their target level. The end of year exam performance was much better than the previous year too. More evidence – taking into consideration greater numbers of pupils and subjects over a longer timeframe – is needed to draw any firm conclusions about impact. Such research would also need to address the counterfactual questions: what would have happened to pupils who had not been exposed to the new structure of assessment and feedback?

Secondly, the only real area of difference in opinion at the classroom level concerned challenge questions. It is important for teachers to emphasise the necessity to answer challenge questions, and also to ensure these are personalised and differentiated. If teachers can be more aware of the importance of this they can take greater care in future years. Finally, students in focus groups commented on the need for whole-school consistency in the area of assessments and marking. It is hoped that these findings can be used to encourage other practitioners to see the value of regular and detailed formal assessments for student progress.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

2 Revision techniques Omar Uddin, with Tamoor Rahim and Hamza Mehmood (Year xx students)

Editor’s note: There is a connection between this study and the previous one – Omar and his peers experienced the assessment and feedback changes implemented across the school. Their study was a reaction to the challenges they noted from a student’s perspective.

2.1 | Overview and Aims I chose to investigate three different revision techniques because it became clear this year that many students in my year group do not bother to revise. This restricts their attainment levels. I think that one reason my peers do not revise is that they do not know how. If they were taught techniques for revising this might encourage them to revise for tests and assessments more often and more effectively. I think that this could have a positive impact on their performance. Revising sounds simple enough, but the question that comes to mind is ‘What is the most effective way to revise?’ What revision techniques should pupils be taught and encouraged to use? In response to this my study has two aims: • to explore a range of different revision techniques with my peers • to suggest, based on my findings, which techniques the school should encourage and support pupils to use for their own revision work.

2.2 | Methods To carry out my research, I asked two of my friends to help me. We all revised for three different subjects using three different revision methods over a period of five to six weeks (three times per week).

2.2.1 The revision techniques For RE we revised work on marriage and family, using past papers. This allowed us to understand what actual GCSE questions would look like. For geography, we revised our work on globalisation and blood diamonds using a revision pack provided by our teacher. This pack included all the materials we needed to revise this subject and prepare for our assessment. For science, we revised work on the periodic table and metals using flash cards that we created ourselves. These captured and helped us to remember key information that would be useful in the exam.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Revision techniques

Each of the participants used each revision technique alone and afterwards I used interviews to capture personal reflections. This enabled me to find out what each participant thought about the revision strategies they had used. This was combined with quantitative data that I collected about the performance of each participant in each subject before and after the six-week revision period.

• the flash cards: ‘only had a limited amount of information so I didn’t know everything I needed to’.

2.3 | Discussion and findings

Figure 3: Pupil performance before the revision period

A comparison of performance in each subject before and after the six-week revision activity shows some interesting results. The tables below show our results before (Figure 3) and after (Figure 4).

The interviews and personal reflections revealed a range of opinions on each revision strategy.

Subject Science (flash cards)

Geography (revision pack)

RE (past papers)

Pupil 1 reported: • the revision pack was the most effective as it reminded him of all the information that was needed and it did not leave any questions unanswered

Pupil

• the flash cards were ‘quite helpful as it reminded me of the keywords and definitions that I needed to remember for my test’ • the past papers were not helpful because they ‘didn’t give me the information I needed to answer the questions, it just gave me GCSE style questions which I didn’t know how to answer until I had finished my lesson’.

After the 6 weeks of revising and once we had finished our controlled assessments, our levels had improved by an average of 2 sub-levels. Figure 4: Pupil performance after revision period

Pupil 2 reported:

Subject

• the flash cards were the most useful – these were: ‘helpful for me as my teacher had already told me that I needed to remember keywords to improve my grade’

Science (flash cards)

Geography (revision pack)

RE (past papers)

7a (+2 levels)

8c (+4 levels)

7a (+2 levels)

7b (+2 levels)

7c (+1 level)

7b (+2 levels)

7a (+2 levels)

7c (+1 level)

• the revision packs helped but there was ‘too much overlapping information that confused me’ • the past papers were difficult and this pupil found them hard to respond to: ‘These were a lot more difficult for me as I wasn’t used to how GCSE questions were laid out’. Pupil 3 reported: • the past papers were the most helpful because they: ‘showed me how much harder GCSEs would be so I could prepare for them with ease’ • the revision packs: ‘helped me quite a bit as it had all the information I needed but it was too much information for me to get my head through’

Pupil

2.4 | Reflections Looking at the final results, we liked different techniques and in some cases these techniques may have helped individuals to improve up to four sub-levels in a short period of time. If I did this study again I would address some of the limitations. I would do the investigation more than once in a year to make my results more reliable. Additionally, I would involve male and female students and I would include more than one year group. I conclude that the most effective way to revise varies by person. I would personally advise all students experiment Action research at St Mark’s Church ofto England Academywith 2014different ways to revise and use 19 the one they find most effective.

3 The Joint Practitioner Development programme Rebecca Hooker, job title

3.1 | Overview This research aimed to develop a better understanding of the outcomes of the Joint Practitioner Development (JPD) programme and the impact it had on professional development across the school. The JPD programme set out to allow teachers to work together in groups put together on the basis of the strengths and weaknesses of teachers. They were to share good practice and develop their own teaching styles. This research sought to understand whether staff thought the JPD programme had any impact on their teaching and if so, what the most effective strategies were.

3.2 | Context St Mark’s Academy has been on an incredible journey in terms of teaching and learning. When the academy opened in 2006 after the closure of Mitcham Vale, it was faced with the difficult challenge of recreating itself as a new entity. In June 2009, following an Ofsted inspection, St Mark’s was given ‘notice to improve.’ Ofsted returned in September 2010 and graded the academy as ‘satisfactory,’ placing teaching and learning at the heart of what still needed to improve if the school was going to be judged ‘good’. St Mark’s Academy is now a ‘good’ school. According to our most recent Ofsted report (2012), the inspection team reported that the school is not yet ‘outstanding’ because: ‘a small proportion of teaching is not yet consistently good or better. This limits students’ progress and affects their attitudes to learning.’ This description resonates with staff and the belief within the school that middle leaders need to work on this to improve the motivation, engagement and learning of pupils overall. My research is a response to this context. Through the conduct of this research it is my aim to support the creation of a culture of pupil-driven learning whereby pupils are involved in the planning, monitoring and review of lessons. I hope that this research will be another mechanism to allow me to model outstanding learning to my department and to further develop the journey of teaching and learning within St Mark’s Academy. Learning about the strengths and weaknesses of the JPD programme will enable the school to better develop and support consistently high teaching and learning across the academy.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

The Joint Practitioner Development programme

3.3 | Methods

3.5 | Reflection

A questionnaire was distributed to all staff who took part in the JPD programme after it had finished. The questionnaire contained a variety of questions seeking the opinions of the teachers on the effectiveness of the programme, and their experience of the most effective elements of the programme. The questionnaire asked about the perceived impacts of the practitioner research programme, the contribution of the JPD to professional development as a whole, the strategies that were perceived as most effective in structuring the way the groups worked (e.g. collaborative problem solving, planning, observation and immediate feedback, re-planning and learning journals). It also asked teachers to provide suggestions for future years of the programme. The questionnaire was handed to staff to complete with guidance provided in an email. Questionnaires were returned by 25 members of staff.

I believe the programme was considered by staff to have been a success overall. I have since looked at the outcomes of graded developmental observations and found that those staff who took part in the JPD programme had improved subsequently. It would be interesting in future years to study the impact on this outcome measure in more detail. It may also be interesting in future years to use some of the staff members as mentors to groups who are struggling or to make groups smaller. The groups could then collaborate with one another and look at development in that way. It would also be been better if the questionnaires were administered in the final staff meeting following the completion of the JPD with a full explanation from myself on what the questionnaire aimed to achieve. This might result in richer responses from participants.

3.4 | Key findings A key finding was that nearly all of the teachers thought the programme effective in developing their teaching and learning practice and they favoured the use of informal observation and feedback. What staff valued most was the opportunity to watch a colleague, a lesson or strategy which they could apply to their own teaching. Responses showed that staff valued the non-graded nature of these observations and found it a good way to share good practice, particularly emphasising the feedback aspect of the process. The few staff who thought the programme had been less useful said this was because they would have preferred the programme to go on for longer and provide more support about how to use the strategies that made up the group work elements. Other staff found it hard to meet regularly with groups and in some cases the group members did not complement each other â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example they all had the same issue and therefore did not have a positive (working) example to look to from among their ranks.

Action research at St Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church of England Academy 2014

4 An investigation into middle leaders’ perceptions of distributed leadership at St Mark’s Academy Claudette Bailey-Morrissey, job title

4.1 | Introduction St Mark’s Academy has always provided excellent developmental leadership opportunities for staff and as a result these opportunities have created invaluable examples of distributed leadership, which in turn, has built leadership capacity throughout the academy. A common feature of distributed leadership is that leadership is promoted across a range of groups and individuals within schools so that it is located not only within the upper echelons of a school’s hierarchy but also spread or ‘stretched over’ (Spillane, 2001: 20) a wider range of actors.

4.2 | Aims This research study explores the concept of distributed leadership and identifies two case study examples that illustrate how distributed leadership has been used as an effective way of creating leadership capacity at St Mark’s Academy. The study examines the way in which two members of staff have been given developmental leadership opportunities and how these opportunities have both empowered each participant and led to leadership development and growth.

4.3 | The nature of distributed leadership Harris (2010: 55) defines distributed leadership as ‘the expansion of leadership roles in schools, beyond those in formal leadership or administrative posts’. There are numerous normative models of leadership (Bush, 2011; Bush and Glover, 2003; Leithwood and Jantzi, 1999) but distributed leadership is ‘the leadership idea of the moment’ (Harris, 2010: 56). While participative, shared, collaborative and collegial theories are well established, distributed approaches have gained currency in the 21st century (Harris 2004; Spillane, 2006). Harris (2010) attributes this change partly to disillusionment with concepts of individual leadership and partly to increasing recognition that there are multiple sources of influence in schools. It is evident that the concept of distributed leadership has a variety of meanings, and that some of these meanings resemble (explicitly and/or implicitly) notions such as collegiality. This prompts a question about whether there is a conception of distributed leadership which takes understanding of leadership further than a renaming of previous ideas. Bennett et al. (2003) assert that distributed leadership suggests openness in the boundaries of leadership. This means that distributed

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

An investigation into middle leaders’ perceptions of distributed leadership at St Mark’s Academy

leadership is predisposed to widen the conventional net of leaders. Who (i.e. which individual or group) is to be brought into leadership or seen as a contributor to it becomes a central consideration. Of itself, the notion of distributed leadership does not suggest where that boundary should be set; equally there are no limits.

4.4 | Methods Researcher Yin (1984: 23) defined the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigated a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used. This research adopted a case study approach with two members of staff who work at St Mark’s Academy in very different roles. In order to gather relevant information for this research study it was important to identify two members of staff who had recently been appointed to roles within the academy and who were willing to share their experiences and perceptions of the developmental leadership opportunities that exist at St Mark’s Academy. The main research method employed was face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and as researcher I also made notes during the interviews. This method of data collection was used because of the qualitative nature of the research and because of the rich data that could be collected.

4.5 | Key findings Both colleagues were asked seven questions as part of the semi-structured interview process. Their interview responses form the basis of the following case studies: Case Study 1 Joanne Emuan had been working at St Mark’s Academy for three years as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher, teaching French to students at all key stages, before she was appointed as the Raising Aspirations Coordinator. The role was initially created as a one-year contract but was subsequently made permanent and included the role of Gifted and Talented Coordinator. The role involved working with members of staff outside the classroom to ensure that specific groups of students, such as Gifted and Talented (G&T), Looked After (LAC) and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students), were set appropriate activities that provided stretch and

challenge. However, the role mainly focused on raising the attainment of G&T students throughout the academy. Joanne found that no resources were in place before her appointment; therefore, she had to find out through her own research what the role really involved. In only a short time in post as the Raising Aspirations Coordinator Joanne was already recognising the significant impact the role was having on young people, as staff become more aware of the importance of differentiation, the benefits of trips and the influence that other students outside the academy had on the way students viewed themselves and their potential. Joanne’s ability to learn on the job was a significant strength since the role was new and therefore there was no model to follow. Through her own motivation and determination to do a good job she trained herself and sought to find the answers to some of the questions that arose concerning the range of strategies that could be used to raise levels of student aspirations. Joanne received no formal training or financial reward but considered her role to be a great leadership opportunity that would allow her to learn, grow and inspire young people. One leadership skill that Joanne saw as central to the success of the role was her ability to organise her time effectively. This involved managing her time by setting her own timescales and completing tasks within the deadlines she had set. She also created ‘to do’ lists and wrote ‘sticky notes’ as part of her time management and organisational skills. The role also involved communicating with staff in other departments to provide information, contacting outside organisations and working with young people. Joanne recogised that she had to learn to be a leader and to take responsibility for an area for which she had been given authority. Joanne reported receiving some invaluable advice from the Principal at the time; he advised that she did not try to do everything, nor should she feel guilty for not doing everything all at once. Joanne took this on board but still felt she had a steep learning curve in her first year in the role. She found it difficult to reconcile the demands of the job and the impossibility of doing everything at once with her self-critical nature. After meeting with other G&T Coordinators, particularly one experienced coordinator who had been in post for 10 years, Joanne gained a better understanding of action planning and measuring the impact of the strategies she had implemented. She continued to have high standards and was critical of her work. However, Joanne loved her job and, despite being unsure of what she

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

An investigation into middle leaders’ perceptions of distributed leadership at St Mark’s Academy

was getting into, she felt the roles inspired her to continue to find ways to raise levels of student aspiration. In the future she would like to apply for a position as a Head of Year and work with young people in a pastoral role. This leadership opportunity has given her the chance to experience a whole-school perspective, develop leadership skills and work with staff and outside organisations such as universities. Case Study 2 Dionne Jude began working at St Mark’s Academy in September 2011. She joined the school to work as a House Coordinator in a pastoral role, assisting with behaviour and developing the house system within the academy. The role was varied and involved raising student attainment, monitoring student attendance, child protection and safeguarding, dealing with uniform issues as well as contacting parents, leading assemblies and managing Year 7 transition. Dionne’s first leadership opportunity came about when she wanted to produce a practitioner research paper. She had reservations about this because she was a House Coordinator and not a trained teacher. Dionne had assumed that the practitioner research programme was tailored to teachers only but she was keen to get involved. She discussed her ideas with the Senior Vice Principal and at the same time she also applied for the school’s international research programme, seeking support to explore the way in which values-based education was being used in other schools internationally. Her application was successful. She visited a Knowledge Is Power Programme (KIPP) school1 in Houston in the United States and spent six days there. This was a highly influential experience. When Dionne returned to the academy she wrote a report and began to think about how she could apply what she had learned about the values and character strength programmes that she had seen in the US within St Mark’s Academy. Dionne’s second leadership opportunity came about in June 2012 when the SLT leadership secondment opportunity arose at the academy. Again, Dionne believed that the opportunity was for teachers alone and she was in two minds whether to apply. Her colleagues advised her to apply and so she did. She was surprised to be invited for interview and then even more surprised when she was successful. After one year in the secondment role, an internal Vice Principal position arose. This was Dionne’s third leadership opportunity. She applied for the position and was successful. 1

KIPP schools are a US-based network of centres that prepare students in deprived areas for college application and entry and are linked to the Charter School legal framework.

Dionne believes that there were a number of factors that led to her preparation for these roles. She had written a blog – Walking Your Life Path, and she had received some neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and mentoring training. Prior to her career at St Mark’s she had run her own business for eight years and had developed skills in marketing, communication, business planning and project management. Dionne had also worked as a consultant for a local authority and worked on an Extended Schools Project for two years. Dionne had not received any formal leadership training but reported that her past experiences prepared her for her leadership roles. Her entrepreneurial skills gave her the confidence to take risks and to take advantage of opportunities that were presented. On a daily basis, Dionne organised her time by writing everything down, ensuring that she kept her desk tidy, organised her emails into folders and prioritised her time. Dionne recognised that she had a lot to learn and has continued to seek opportunities for leadership development.

4.6 | Conclusion This research paper presents a summary of the way in which St Mark’s Academy has created leadership capacity through the introduction and use of a distributed leadership model. Two case studies are presented, which demonstrate the way in which two members of staff have taken advantage of the leadership developmental opportunities and how these members of staff were able to develop and learn on the job. The case studies for this research paper show that there are lessons to be learned when introducing a distributive leadership model. It is important to highlight that St Mark’s Academy consciously and deliberately promotes a culture where leadership is encouraged and developed across the institution. Distributive leadership should not be considered separately from issues such as training, guidance, relationships and Academy expectations, and so on. The way in which staff are inducted and prepared for their leadership roles and the level of support provided to enable them to feel confident and secure in their approach to delivering outstanding leadership is paramount. The case studies reveal that both members of staff felt inspired in their roles and spoke passionately about the work that they were doing. However, they had relied on their past experiences and their own initiative in the absence of guidance or training prior to taking up their posts and carrying out their roles. Fortunately, these colleagues were highly motivated

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

An investigation into middle leaders’ perceptions of distributed leadership at St Mark’s Academy

and had the skills and abilities to fulfil the requirements of their role. In light of this, it could be suggested that in order to continue to successfully utilise a distributed leadership model at St Mark’s Academy members of staff need to receive appropriate training and support, in order to ensure that the environment within which leadership is practiced and developed empowers and nurtures staff. In conclusion, whilst St Mark’s continues to adopt distributive leadership to expand the leadership capacity within the Academy, there is a need for both formal and informal leadership preparation programmes to inspire those members of staff who take up leadership positions and for those for whom leadership was not considered a viable option. There is clearly scope for further study in this area, exploring the link between distributed leadership and its influences on student outcomes at St Mark’s Academy and identifying how these members of staff have used their experience to support other new members of staff who have recently taken on new roles as the Academy expands its leadership capacity.

References Bennett, N., Wise, C., Woods, P.A. and Harvey, J.A. (2003) Distributed leadership: a review of literature. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership. Bush, T. (2011) ‘School leadership development: top-down or bottom-up?’ Educational management administration & leadership, 39, 258. Bush, T. and Glover, D. (2003) School leadership: concepts and evidence: full report. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership. Harris, A. (2004) ‘Distributed leadership and school improvement: leading or misleading?’ Educational management, administration and leadership, 32 (1), 11–24. Harris, A. (2010) ‘Distributed leadership.’ In T. Bush, L. Bell, and D. Middlewood (eds) The principles of educational leadership and management. London: Sage. Leithwood, K. and Jantzi, D. (1999) ‘The relative effects of principal and teacher sources of leadership on student engagement with school.’ Educational administration quarterly, 35, 679–706. Spillane, J., Halverson, R. and Diamond, J.B. (2001) ‘Investigating school leadership practice: a distributed perspective.’ Educational researcher, 30 (3), 23–28. Spillane, J. (2006) Distributed leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Yin, R.K. (1984) Case study research: design and methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

5 How do success criteria shape students’ experience of creative writing? Rachel Sewell, Head of English

5.1 | Introduction and context At St Mark’s Academy, as in many schools across the country, we regularly use success criteria to teach writing skills to our students. Our success criteria typically take the form of a bullet-pointed grid which lists the skills that students need to demonstrate in their work to achieve National Curriculum levels. These are usually given to students by the teacher at the beginning of a lesson, so that students have a clear picture of the skills they are trying to achieve. At St Mark’s, our students are adept at using success criteria to assess their own and other students’ work, and seem to enjoy the clarity which these criteria provide about how to achieve their target levels in different lessons and pieces of writing. However, I often find that when I use success criteria to teach creative writing in English lessons, they can cause problems. For example, my students can become so focused on achieving their target levels that they use the criteria as checklists, without fully understanding the complexities of skills they detail; and as such they can create awkward writing which lacks any sense of a student’s own narrative voice, making that target level a lot harder to achieve.

5.2 | Aims I wanted to use my practitioner research as an opportunity to do two things: to return to the original pedagogical thinking behind success criteria; and to explore how the way in which I typically use success criteria in my lessons impacts upon my students’ experience of creative writing.

5.3 | Literature review The concept of success criteria was born largely out of Wiliam and Black’s Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment (1998). Here, the authors explain that ‘pupils can assess themselves only when they have a sufficiently clear picture of the targets that their learning is meant to attain’ (1998: 8). This focus on making targets explicit seems to form the basis of the thinking behind giving students levelled success criteria at the beginning of a lesson.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

How do success criteria shape students’ experience of creative writing?

However, Wiliam and Black are also careful to highlight that ‘when the classroom culture focuses on rewards, “gold stars”, grades or class ranking, then pupils look for ways to obtain the best marks rather than to improve their learning’ (1998: 6). This goes some way towards explaining why so many of my students produce rushed ‘box ticking’ writing – their eagerness to achieve their target level. Rather than providing students with ready-made, teacher-generated success criteria, Marshall and Wiliam suggest students undertake a series of activities that enable them to create success criteria with their teacher. The criteria are never given to them at the beginning of a lesson, but instead the end goal of the lesson is students having developed ‘a growing knowledge of the craft of writing’ (2006: 18) and as such their own success criteria. Returning to the original advice on how to use success criteria was helpful because it enabled me to identify the problem I was experiencing in my lessons: my students were not always given the opportunity to build their own picture of what makes effective writing when I generated the criteria for them, and this could lead to a lack of understanding about how to meet their demands.

5.4 | Methods I carried out my research with a mixed ability Year 9 class whilst teaching Macbeth. My research centred on one creative writing lesson, the monologue writing produced by two students of different abilities; and these students’ written and oral reflections on the lesson and using the success criteria. The evidence I gathered is largely in the form of student-writing, alongside near-contemporaneous records of the discussions I had with my students and their behaviour in lessons.

5.5 | Findings and analysis The lesson I taught was one which is typical of the way in which I often use success criteria to teach creative writing; it used a detailed, levelled success criteria and a teacher-modelled piece of writing to teach students to write monologues as found in Macbeth. We began the lesson by reading and discussing Macbeth’s monologue in which he debates whether or not he should murder King Duncan. Having read the monologue and confident that my students grasped Macbeth’s feelings at this point in the play, I then drew their attention to a model teacher monologue and

the success criteria. In the same way that I often do, I asked my class to tell me what level the example was and why, and to set themselves targets for their own monologue writing. As my students set about writing, I commented, ‘As you’re writing, make sure you keep looking at your success criteria to remind yourself what you should include.’ I ended the lesson by asking them to reflect on the lesson in their learning journals. In his journal David wrote, ‘the truth about success criteria’s [sic] is that they only help me during creative writing because I can look at it and know “add effective punctuation” etc.’ This highlighted my concern that the criteria I give my students often place too much emphasis on listing technical skills without giving students an understanding of their importance: did David really understand the value of adding ‘effective punctuation’? However, David’s writing does not necessarily reflect this issue and he demonstrated an impressive understanding of how to write an effective monologue. A section of his monologue reads: ‘If I proceed, then I will no longer be a humble thane to him, but a traitor. It’s a pity that a murderous act will always haunt the innocent! Death, hovering over their every move. I’m his saviour and his host, not his murderer. What am I thinking?’ David’s ‘if’ complex sentence effectively mimics those used by Macbeth at the beginning of the original monologue, something which I hadn’t drawn attention to aloud during the lesson, but which my focus question, ‘What kind of sentences is Macbeth using here?’ about the printed monologue may well have prompted David to look at. The next clause in this sentence could have been influenced by a line from my model which said, ‘No longer am I a protector, but a traitor’. This line had caught the attention of the class as Farhid had asked about the meaning of the word ‘traitor’ and the class had been quick to explain it in terms of ‘snaking’ on a friend. It seems likely that this term stuck with David. The formation of this clause also mimics the model with the construction of ‘no longer… but…’. In his next line, David’s focus on the idea that ‘a murderous act will always haunt the innocent’ alongside Macbeth’s fear over his future loss of sleep could be read as a nod to my success criteria’s call for the level 6/7 ability to ‘indicate the consequences of these feelings as well as the motivation behind these thoughts’; he certainly explores the consequences of murdering Duncan and Macbeth’s

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

How do success criteria shape students’ experience of creative writing?

reasoning effectively. David has effectively captured the tone of the original text and also uses rhetorical questions to capture the ‘conflicting ideas’ that we discussed as a class and that the success criteria also demand. The impact of my criteria on David’s writing, then, does not seem to have done the damage I expected. By teaming the success criteria with a close reading of the original text, an examination of a teacher model and an in-depth discussion of all Macbeth’s thoughts, had I largely avoided awkward and stilted writing on David’s part? In The reader in the writer, Barrs and Cork demonstrate that being exposed to, and closely studying, literary texts ‘seemed to be a particularly helpful way of foregrounding tunes and rhythms in a way that subsequently influenced children’s writing’ (2001: 92). This is definitely evident in David’s writing. He has mirrored the ‘tunes and rhythms’ of both the original text we examined so carefully and also the model monologue. It would appear that this particular pedagogy had equal if not more of an impact on David’s writing than the success criteria. Could I argue, then, that for writers like David, who are confident enough in examining other people’s writing and using their own ideas, success criteria present less of an issue because they have the confidence to either ignore them entirely or use them alongside much more influential resources? In contrast, for writers like Paarthanan, my use of success criteria to appeared to have done the damage I expected. In his journal, Paarthanan wrote: ‘I liked the success criteria when I wanted to reach level 5 trying to hit everything which I tried to do and also achieved everything from level 5’ This description speaks volumes about Paarthanan’s desperation to achieve a certain level and also what he felt the main purpose of the lesson was: to reach a target. The fact that he repeats the term ‘level 5’ twice suggests his eagerness to let me know what level his writing should be. His use of the word ‘achieved’ is also interesting; he used the success criteria as a check list of demands which needed to be realised.

‘If I kill the King Duncan I could come the King after he dies on the other hand If I kill they are going to think that it was me because they know that I am going to be the king after king Duncan dies. Killing him doesn’t do anything to me though.’ Like David, Paarthanan imitates the ‘if’ complex sentence from the opening of the monologue and explains Macbeth’s reasons for wanting to kill the king. He then, as the level five success criteria demands, uses ‘on the other hand’ to introduce a conflicting thought. His final sentence is a little unclear and I’m not quite sure what he means. However significantly it begins with the ‘ing’ word ‘killing’, thus following one of the success criteria’s demands for varied sentences which begin with ‘-ing’ words. In his bid to use the features I’d listed for him, Paarthanan had lost the ‘tunes and rhythms’ (Barrs and Cork, 2001: 92) of the original text and modelled monologue which he’d also seen. By not giving Paarthanan an opportunity to contribute to writing his own criteria, I had prevented him from understanding why or how to use the different techniques and instead encouraged him to use it as a set of difficult-to-follow instructions. Paarthanan’s journal entry further emphasises this; he asserts that he has achieved everything from the level 5 success criteria. He is correct that he has, in fact, written about conflicting ideas, used complicated connectives such as ‘on the other hand’, started sentences with ‘-ing’ words, and stayed in character. However his writing feels brief, incomplete and lacking in detail on Macbeth’s feelings. This highlights another issue with success criteria: when students use them as exhaustive checklists they gain no understanding of the importance of the coherence and wholeness of a piece of writing. Paarthanan is a much more nervous writer who is desperate to hit his target level and becomes stressed and frustrated when he worries he won’t be able to. It seems that it is for these kinds of learners that success criteria present the issues with awkward and stifled writing.

While the other students had begun to write, Paarthanan had nervously raised his hand to ask me what connectives meant. I showed him the examples of the success criteria and he set about writing. This is what he produced:

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

How do success criteria shape students’ experience of creative writing?

5.6 | Conclusion

References

From close analysis of one lesson, a number of conclusions can be drawn. The first is that, despite my fear that I rely too heavily on using teacher-generated success criteria to teach creative writing, there is usually more than one pedagogy at work in my lessons. I rarely teach a lesson which does not also include close analysis of a text, whole-class discussion or model writing. Further, my more confident writers, like David, seem to benefit from this variety and are able to draw on these different resources to produce effective writing.

Barrs, M. and Cork, V. (2001) The reader in the writer. London: Centre for Language in Primary Education. Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998) Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment. London: Kings College. Marshall, B. and Wiliam, D. (2006) English inside the black box: assessment for learning in the English classroom. London: Kings College.

However, for students like Paarthanan, it is important that these other pedagogies are given more prominence in the lesson than the success criteria. This is because students who worry about reaching their target level seem to become fixated on including all the different skills in their writing, without necessarily understanding how to use them. If I had guided my class through generating their own success criteria, as Wiliam and Marshal (2006) suggest, I might have seen higher quality writing from the whole class. David’s writing may have been just as effective since he was able to draw on a variety of influences in his monologue, and Paarthanan’s might have been more successful because he may have better understood how to use the different techniques. Finally, it is worth considering the level of stress which my success criteria’s constant reference to target levels can place on students. Using student-generated success criteria would perhaps have removed the emphasis on ‘gold stars’ which Wiliam and Black warn against, and given students the space to develop their own opinions of what makes effective monologue writing. N.B. All names have been changed to culturally appropriate pseudonyms.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

6 Strategies to support EAL (English as an additional language) pupils with writing Anna Elgar, Teacher of English

6.1 | Overview My research project aimed to develop a better understanding of the strategies English teachers can use with EAL students when they are planning or producing creative written work. It sought to ascertain which strategies these students enjoy the most and which they find most useful. The intention was to use this research to give some of the EAL pupils a sense of ‘voice’ and the opportunity to share any successes or difficulties they may have had when writing at length in English. The outcomes of the research will allow lessons across the department to be better tailored to EAL students’ needs.

6.2 | Context St Mark’s Academy currently has 54 per cent of students who are classed as EAL. This ranges from new arrivals with very little English to those who have been here for some time and are both confident and competent when speaking, reading and writing in English. The school often welcomes casual admission students throughout the course of the year. Many of our EAL students have little or no English, and some have not received as much formal education as their UK-educated peers. New arrivals to the academy spend time in EAL withdrawal groups until their English reaches a level 4 in what was National Curriculum terms or they are deemed capable of accessing the curriculum. However, while many progress quickly in speaking, listening and comprehension, writing in English often proves more difficult. The English curriculum requires Key Stage 3 students to be able to write extended pieces of imaginative writing. This is not always easy for students whose first language is not English. The largest group of students who are currently underachieving at Key Stage 4 are largely non-British white Europeans. A number of these students have been studying in the UK for some time but are not yet fully fluent, something which clearly impacts on their attainment.2 As a class teacher I always support newly arrived students with differentiated and translated resources, but I am interested in which strategies best support students who are already at fluency stage 3 or 4 in English. 2

Of our current Year 10 cohort, 26 students are listed as ‘any other white background’. Most of the students are either Portuguese or Polish, and are EAL learners. In the summer of 2014 less than a quarter of these pupils were on track to achieve 5 A*-C grades at GCSE, despite the fact that many of them have been in the country for some time.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Strategies to support EAL (English as an additional language) pupils with writing

This research will explore a range of strategies designed to enable EAL students to express themselves in writing thoughtfully and adeptly, in particular strategies that aim to expand vocabulary and support fluent and confident expression. Such strategies allow EAL students to write with flair and at length. This is something which is required at Key Stage 3 and the failure to be able to do so at Key Stage 4 can seriously impede attainment. These are also strategies that could benefit all students but the research will focus on non-new arrivals.

6.4 | Methods The methods are exclusively qualitative, inspired by action research processes and adopting two cycles. I used a range of teaching strategies and aids with one particular Year 8 class, in which there were six Portuguese speakers of varying fluency levels. I asked a colleague to observe the pupils and myself in at least one lesson. At the end of the lesson the students were asked the questions below: 1. Which activity did you enjoy the most during the lesson? 2. Which activity helped you to improve your writing the most? 3. Were there any activities you didn’t find useful? Following the lesson the students were asked to participate in a focus group discussion; this was recorded and used as the primary source of data. After considering the data, a further lesson was planned and the same methods employed once again to gathered data for analysis. The research did not attempt to measure success in terms of National Curriculum levels or written output; it looked instead at what the students themselves find most powerful and indeed most useful. The research project also sought to understand what the students perceived to be the most challenging aspects of writing creatively in English.

6.5 | Key findings In the first lesson I used a range of strategies. The class had been studying Gothic literature and in this lesson were producing their own Gothic stories. They began by reading a model piece of Gothic writing and identifying the language techniques used. This was followed by a task in which the students moved around the room, annotating Gothic images with words and language techniques. The students then

produced a Gothic piece of writing of their own based on a scenario from Dracula. During the lesson I provided Portuguese EAL students with translations of the model writing, success criteria and sentence starters, including ones they could use to create similes. My colleague (the observer) noticed that some of the weaker EAL students had been slow to join in with the activity when we looked at model writing. She noted that it took one student ‘a while to settle and he tried to rely on others around him’, suggesting that some paired talk prior to the activity might help support them. My colleague identified the task that used visual aids as being an ‘extremely effective’ way of engaging EAL learners – the Portuguese students were able to engage fully with the task without any issues with comprehension. They started writing immediately. My colleague also labelled one of the student’s pieces of writing as ‘extremely good’ – they were impressed by the level of detail and accuracy present in their writing. One pupil had written next to an image of a torture chamber: ‘the jail is small and makes you stay with bad things on your back’. Whilst the students stated that they felt that the use of pictures was extremely helpful, they were most enthusiastic about the sentence starters I had given them. One student stated that he now felt confident about creating similes and would be able to think of some without any support (in his written work he had used the sentence starters as follows: ‘When I opened the door the room was as cold as ice… The candles were as hot as fire’). He explained: ‘I like to create some similes. I find easy. But metaphor, I don’t know what is that, I don’t really understand what that is.’ Interestingly, another student who had been studying in the UK for a longer time said he found creating both metaphors and similes straightforward, but that he struggled with ‘the thing when you compare an object to how a human…’ – in other words, personification. Personification is a far more complex language technique to use than a simile. Although it sounds like an obvious correlation, I found it very helpful to hear from the students themselves that as fluency in English grows, so does confidence in tackling more complex language techniques. One student stated that the thing he found the most difficult was ‘write about things with powerful words’. With this, and my colleague’s advice, in mind, the next lesson I planned involved paired talk and the use of synonym ‘word mats’. These

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Strategies to support EAL (English as an additional language) pupils with writing

are colour-coded help sheets that offer alternatives for over-used words such as ‘nice’ and ‘said’. After the second lesson the weaker students commented that the paired talk helped them think of words and phrases to use in their writing. They mentioned that it had been helpful to talk to people ‘on my table’ (most of them are in groups with native English speakers) and did not show the same hesitation when beginning a writing task. All the students I interviewed were extremely enthusiastic about the word mats, agreeing it was the most helpful teaching aid I had used with them. They said: ‘it is like you are writing something and you forget the word and it gives you a new one’ and they could use it ‘when I write a story and I want to put powerful words but I don’t know them’. One student claimed it was useful ‘for not using every time the same word’. In their work they had been able to use correctly words such as ‘staggered’ and ‘colossal’ – words which prior to the lesson they had not known at all.

reproduce similes and metaphors themselves. I wonder if this is because these language techniques follow set ‘rules’ and can be constructed using relatively simple vocabulary. The complexity of the language techniques students were able to use corresponded with their level of English. Providing students with sentence starters for language techniques is something I will certainly continue to do. On the other hand, all the Portuguese-speaking students I interviewed struggled with vocabulary. They all stated that as English was not their first language there were many words they simply did not know, but that the word mats allowed them to expand their vocabulary. This is a relatively simple resource that I can easily produce for all my colleagues in the English department. I am certain it could also be used in other essay-writing subjects too. The use of paired talk was welcomed by all students and it seemed to boost the confidence, and indeed the vocabulary, of weaker EAL students. Again, I will aim to make this technique a regular part of my planning and practice.

6.6 | Reflection The opportunity afforded by this study to speak to students in a small group and reflecting on the lessons together was valuable. Overall, all the students I interviewed were able to explain what made for a successful piece of creative writing and did not feel that success criteria in their first language necessarily helped. Perhaps this is because many of the students are familiar with words such as ‘simile’ and ‘metaphor’ in English. All the pupils were adamant that translations of model writing remained useful: ‘When you read a text you give me that Portuguese text; I think it’s helpful… because the words that I don’t understand in English I can go to the Portuguese text and understand’. Hearing this from the students themselves confirmed my belief about how important differentiated resources are, even for those who already have a strong grasp of English. It also confirmed my belief about the importance of using visual images. As a result of this research I will continue to translate resources and provide accompanying pictures and will seek to embed this practice in any schemes of work I am developing. The students explained that they needed additional support when using language techniques. However, once they had grasped the relevant rules they were able to

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

7 Intervention strategies: which are perceived as the most useful by staff and students? Clementine Murray and Debbie Wiles, job titles

7.1 | Overview This research aimed to develop an understanding of how intervention strategies at Key Stage 4 are used and perceived by staff and students. The aim in completing this research was to investigate whether there were any interventions that were widely used across the academy and to explore whether staff and students agreed on the impact of these various strategies. Intervention strategies are put in place to raise attainment. In Key Stage 4, numerous intervention strategies are put in place throughout Years 10 and 11. These interventions tend to focus on students at risk of not achieving their five A*-C at GCSE and as a result the interventions that take place largely concentrate on the core subjects and/or students who are targeted Cs and Ds at GCSE. The study involved the intervention coordinator for Key Stage 4 and the Head of English. Together they investigated the intervention strategies in use across the academy and the ways in which these strategies were perceived by staff and students through a series of interviews and questionnaires. Interventions put into place at St Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s include: parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; evenings, revision packs, compulsory after-school enrichment sessions, voluntary after-school enrichment, stop-the-clock days (off-timetable days), a peer mentoring scheme, written feedback from staff, one-to-one teacher interventions and small group sessions. Staff teaching mathematics, English and science must offer after-school enrichment once a week and targeted students are required to attend. All other subject teachers are free to offer after-school enrichment on a rotational/voluntary basis and students are not required to attend. A peer mentoring programme currently runs for English coursework and exam preparation with around 20 participating students. Students who are targeted a C or D grade are identified and paired with a student targeted an A*-B. These students then meet every coaching time and work together on a focused piece of work. With so many strategies being put into place, assessing the success of each particular strategy, or the effect it has on attainment, is increasingly difficult. This research focuses on the perceptions of different intervention strategies, exploring which strategies both staff and students feel are most beneficial to raising attainment.

Action research at St Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church of England Academy 2014

Intervention strategies: which are perceived as the most useful by staff and students?

7.2 | Methods The research methods used for this study were largely qualitative as the focus was on the research groups’ perceptions of intervention strategies.

Figure 5: Commonly used intervention strategies After-school enrichment sessions

First, the research sought to determine which strategies were commonly employed. This was achieved by asking staff and students to identify intervention strategies they had used/ witnessed. After identifying these, key strategies were identified as those widely used across the academy. This information was gathered through a variety of sources including questionnaires, pupil interviews and observations.

Peer mentoring sessions

Structured questionnaires were given to all of the current Year 10 cohort and to all staff members. In the questionnaires, staff and students were asked which strategies they had used or experienced and which they had found most and least useful. They were also asked to identify any barriers to successful intervention.

Written feedback

Small group withdrawal Parents’ evenings 1:1 teacher support

Revision packs

Group interviews were used with pupils to capture student perceptions and opinions of each strategy. These were conducted at key points throughout the year and focused on students who were receiving large amounts of intervention (such as those who were involved in peer mentoring and one-to-one tuition sessions) as well as those who were involved in delivering intervention through acting as peer mentors.

Staff identified after-school enrichment as the most useful strategy because they thought it was a good opportunity to work in smaller groups with students. However, it should be noted that the opportunity to work with smaller groups arises through poor attendance at these sessions and this was also identified by staff as an issue.

Observations of students in enrichment sessions and peer mentoring sessions were also conducted throughout the year.

Revision packs and written feedback were both also identified by staff as useful intervention strategies as they allowed staff to provide detailed personalised information that students could use in their own time.

7.3 | Key findings Both staff and students identified the following seven strategies as the most commonly used:

Although it was not listed as a frequently used strategy, many staff felt that parents’ meetings were a useful intervention strategy, although one member of staff did question whether parents were able to understand the significance of the information they were provided with at these meetings. Staff saw all strategies as beneficial to some extent. They overwhelmingly identified time as the greatest barrier to offering effective intervention with every noncore member of staff noting that not having an assigned day on which to hold compulsory after-school intervention was a problem. Staff also raised student motivation as an issue, noting that many of these strategies are effectively used by the most motivated students but are not used at all by others, some of whom are ‘key students’ in terms of target grades.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Intervention strategies: which are perceived as the most useful by staff and students?

The students identified English and mathematics as the areas in which they received the most intervention and also recognised geography as an area that provided a range of intervention strategies. The students’ perceptions of which strategies were most useful were more diverse than that of the staff, with the most popular strategies being one-to-one support and enrichment. Peer mentoring and revision packs were polarising strategies in that they were mentioned frequently as the most and least useful strategies by different pupils. The majority of students stated that they did not find parents’ meetings useful and would rather that they were not used. Many also identified written feedback as something they do not find useful and expressed a wish to have verbal feedback from their teachers instead. When asked what strategies they would like access to, students often requested access to small group or one-to-one intervention, but recognised that this was not always possible for all students due to time and/or resource constraints.

7.4 | Reflection Both staff and students recognised after-school enrichment as a key method of delivering intervention in the academy. This may be because this is the most widely used. Also, the decision to make enrichment compulsory for core subjects has created an expectation that students will participate in this intervention. It should be noted however, that both staff and students commented on the fact that after-school enrichment provides an opportunity to work with smaller groups of students. This is often due to poor attendance rather than staff intentionally identifying small groups to attend. If all students attended, then this small group dynamic would be lost. It may be worth considering whether enrichment is more effective when small groups are identified to attend and are offered targeted intervention. The lack of assigned time for non-core subjects is a contentious issue in the academy, with all non-core teachers raising this as a barrier to effective intervention. Some teachers worried that students perceived their subjects as less important because enrichment is compulsory for mathematics/English and science only.

The disparity between staff and student perceptions of parents’ meetings was another area of interest. Staff felt that by having regular contact with parents, students could be encouraged to work at home and parents could be kept informed of their child’s progress. The students however did not perceive this as useful. It would be interesting to investigate this further to discern whether this reluctance about parents’ meetings related to a perception that students may ‘get in trouble’ if parents are involved or if they feel, as one teacher did, that parents are often not in a position to understand their school work and therefore cannot help even if informed. The majority of staff identified revision packs as a key intervention strategy that they used but many students identified them as ‘the least useful strategy’ and said that they did not use them once handed out. It may be worth exploring whether this is due to students lacking the independent study skills and resilience to access these materials independently. This may explain why students are more keen to work on a one-to-one basis with teachers and also to receive verbal rather than written feedback: these strategies require less independence from students. To ensure that revision materials prepared by staff are being used to their full extent, it would be worth considering how we can explicitly prepare students to work alone and solve problems when working independently. While both staff and students like the idea of offering small group work, both groups recognised that there is not time to offer these strategies to everyone so other strategies will need to be employed. Peer mentoring was cited by many students as a useful intervention strategy, and in interviews students were eager to explain how much this strategy has helped them develop their confidence and how much they enjoyed participating in these sessions (as both mentors and mentees). Many of those who identified peer mentoring as a less useful strategy stated that they had not been given access to this intervention, which may indicate that they would enjoy the opportunity to be involved in a peer mentoring scheme. Many members of staff stated that they would like to begin using this scheme in their subject areas so this may be an area that the academy could look into rolling out more widely.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

8 Using marking and feedback to create ongoing dialogue between students and teachers Hannah Fahey, Vice-Principal

8.1 | Overview This research aimed to develop a better understanding about the ways we could improve the quality of marking within the school. We wanted to use marking and feedback in a way that supported students and teachers to engage in constant dialogue about learning. It placed a strong emphasis on middle leaders driving these changes that brought in a consistent approach towards marking and feedback across the academy.

8.2 | Context At the heart of the school’s improvement journey lies a shift in the quality of teaching and learning and therefore the attainment of learners. St Mark’s Academy is now a ‘good’ school but in June 2009 had been given notice to improve. According to our most recent Ofsted report (2012), the academy is not yet ‘outstanding’ because ‘a small proportion of teaching is not yet consistently good or better. This limits students’ progress and affects their attitudes to learning’. Ofsted also claimed that ‘some middle leaders’ actions to improve teaching further are not precise enough to be fully effective’. I was seconded into the leadership team during the 2013/2014 academic year with the task of improving the quality of teaching and learning, marking and feedback across the school. It is my aim to create a completely consistent approach to marking and feedback across the academy which is driven by middle leaders. This, I believe will have a huge impact on both the quality of feedback throughout the school, and, most importantly, the attainment and progress of learners. The purpose of this research was to support and develop my understanding of the most effective strategies to improve the quality and consistency of marking across a school.

8.3 | Methods 8.3.1 Modelling great practice The first strategy involved me delivering a 25-minute professional development activity within department meetings. The session elicited expectations, asked colleagues to self-assess the quality of their marking and feedback against graded criteria and modelled different examples of outstanding marking gathered from teachers across the school.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Using marking and feedback to create ongoing dialogue between students and teachers

8.3.2 Whole-school marking reviews Following this, staff were given four weeks to adapt their marking based on the modelled examples of outstanding practice and in preparation for the first whole-school marking review. This initial review required teachers to provide five books from Year 11. Staff were told a month in advance which year group would be reviewed. The review graded each practitioner’s marking from outstanding to inadequate and provided them with an individual feedback sheet outlining their strengths and areas for development within 24 hours. Each head of department (HoD) spent an hour supporting the review, grading the quality of feedback within their department. Every department head was provided with an analysis of their practice and was asked to plan any necessary action for the forthcoming six-week period to enhance the quality of practice within their department before the second review. The second whole-school review took place in the spring term and differed from the first in two ways. Firstly, every HoD was asked to spend an hour reviewing and grading marking in other departments rather than their own. Secondly, staff were asked to submit a whole-class set of exercise books after half a day’s notice. Again, staff were graded and given feedback within 24 hours and HoDs were expected to action plan for the next period to improve again the quality of practice in their department based on the strengths and weaknesses evident in their team’s practice.

Figure 6: Marking at St Mark’s Academy

Marking at St. Mark’s Academy 1. Teachers mark in red 2. Students to respond in green 3. The SMA literacy marking policy must be used to identify literacy mistakes 4. The SMA assessment/responding to marking sheet must be used every assessment week 5. Marking poses one challenge question for learners to respond to every assessment 6. Personalised, subject specific feedback clearly explains student’s strengths and areas for development 7. There is evidence of St Mark’s peer, self or teacher assessement stickers being used midway through the assessment fortnight to provide feedback

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Following each review, colleagues whose marking was graded as outstanding, or those who had developed their practice considerably received letters from the headteacher – as a recognition of their ability. Staff who needed extra support were encouraged to attend two one-hour drop-in workshops prior to the next review. These were led by me. My final strategy to improve whole-school marking and feedback was to move towards a more consistent approach. The reviews highlighted just how much inconsistency there was among departments when it came to providing feedback. Departments were using their own proformas and marking in whatever colour they wished. Therefore, this shift towards greater consistency meant that all staff were asked to mark in the ‘St Mark’s way’, communicating feedback on standardised proformas and using red and green pens. The expectations were displayed in each classroom and can be seen below:

In order to reflect upon the process of introducing changes and the changes themselves, I asked staff to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire included closed and open-ended questions and gathered both quantitative and qualitative data. I also used the data I had collected from marking reviews to assess whether the strategies used had enhanced marking at St Mark’s.

8.4 Key findings In relation to the departmental professional development delivered in departmental meetings, 12 out of 16 members of staff said that it had a considerable impact on their practice and only four out of 16 claimed it had a small impact on their practice. No colleagues reported finding it unhelpful.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Using marking and feedback to create ongoing dialogue between students and teachers

Figure 7: Perceived impact of the professional development input (N=16)

A considerable impact

A little impact 12 No impact

When explaining why it was effective, the majority of staff noted the modelling that took place. One colleague explained: ‘I have really taken on board the diagnostic marking that I saw from other colleagues involved. Similarly, a different colleague stated: ‘The session stressed the need to tell pupils how they can move forward. I used to take for granted that students knew their next steps.’ These reflections stress just how important it is that leaders model their expectations if they want to ask staff to enhance or change their practice. It was also clear from analysis of the questionnaires that professional development had an impact because it encouraged staff to think about their current practice and set targets against graded criteria. One staff member wrote: ‘This CPD enabled me to identify areas within my marking and feedback that I could develop. Finally, staff seemed to value the idea of professional development input being delivered departmentally to create consistency, rather than deliver as a wholeschool INSET. For example, a teacher explained:

‘It made expectations really clear and improved consistency across the department.’ In my experience at the academy, the majority of INSETs are delivered at a whole-school level. Although this is time-efficient, comments from staff show that it does not always allow the deliverer to answer individual questions and provide colleagues with the personal and individual support they may need. Figure 8: Perceived impact on marking and feedback from receiving individual feedback sheets (N=16)

A considerable impact

A little impact 14 No impact

Figure 8, above, shows that no colleagues were of the opinion that the marking review and individual feedback sheet had no impact on their marking. A total of two colleagues claimed that it had a little impact on their practice; however, when looking more closely at the reason for this, the majority of comments suggest that these staff were already outstanding markers. Therefore the feedback simply reinforced that what they were doing was of a high standard. A total of 14 staff stated that the feedback sheets had a considerable impact on their practice. All justifications centered on the fact that these clearly explained how to improve against graded criteria and suggested ways in which these improvements could be made. For example, one member of staff stated: ‘Initially my work was rated as “requires improvement”. Being told what was needed to move forward helped me to be graded “good”.’

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Using marking and feedback to create ongoing dialogue between students and teachers

I think this shows that staff are happy to have their practice reviewed, as long as those driving the change ensure that the process is constructive and supportive.

This data is based on the school’s judgements through three internal marking reviews. The grade descriptors are included below.

One of my aims was to involve heads of department (HoDs) in the process of improving marking and feedback. When asked whether they found that grading outside their departments enhanced practive, all agreed that it had. A total of five HoDs completed the questionnaire. According to responses from the questionnaires, for those HoDs in departments where marking and feedback was already outstanding, looking at marking in other departments reinforced that what they were doing was of a high standard. However, for other HoDs being able to see examples of outstanding practice modelled expectations and inspired them to want to achieve similar standards in their own departments. One HoD explained:

Figure 9: Autumn term analysis of the quality of marking and feedback at St Mark’s Academy

6% 21% 26%

Good Requires improvement 47%

Inadequate

‘I saw examples of even more thorough and outstanding practice and got ideas about how to develop my own department – for example, more scaffolded peer-assessment.’ Interestingly, 16 staff stated that moving towards a more consistent approach had a considerable impact on their marking and feedback. As one colleague explained: ‘I like to have something to use as an aid or reference point. To have this in place was very useful and helped me to focus on key priorities.’

Figure 10: Spring term analysis of the quality of marking and feedback at St Mark’s Academy

Similarly, another member of staff stated: ‘It is very important to have consistency across the academy and the coloured pens further encourage students to make the relevant corrections. It is clear in their books that communication through marking is happening. I am convinced that consistently marking and providing feedback to students is vital to their progress. As staff we don’t want to get bogged down with too many variations on forms for marking and … one form is generic throughout the academy… This will help familiarise both staff and students with the marking requirements.’

Outstanding

24%

27%

Outstanding Good Requires improvement

47%

Inadequate

Over the course of the year, marking and feedback has improved (see Figures 9, 10 and 11). Whilst it is not possible to link causally the marking and feedback intervention described here and these results, it is possible that these have played some role.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Using marking and feedback to create ongoing dialogue between students and teachers

Figure 11: Summer term analysis of the quality of marking and feedback at St Mark’s Academy

3% Outstanding

17%

colleagues who need to develop the quality of their feedback further. I would also like to introduce marking and feedback development plans for staff whose marking is not yet of a ‘good’ standard. These development plans would be led by colleagues who are consistently outstanding when it comes to providing students with the feedback they need to progress and establishing a dialogue with them through their books.

Good 50% 30%

Requires improvement Inadequate

8.5 | Reflection Modelling is key I believe that going into department meetings to deliver INSETs to a smaller group of practitioners is far more effective than whole-school delivery in that it allows the practitioner to tailor sessions to meet the needs of staff and answer more thoroughly any questions they may have. Having regular reviews of staff practice can have a huge impact on the development of practice, so long as leaders provide staff with rich feedback, praise those who have ‘gone the extra mile’ to support learners and provide the necessary support for those who need it. Furthermore, I believe it is fair to conclude that encouraging HoDs to examine practice within other departments is a worthwhile exercise and is a form of CPD in itself. I would recommend that leaders think about creative ways to encourage HoDs to collaborate as much as possible within schools. After all, no other group of people has such a tangible impact on improving the attainment of learners. At St Mark’s a consistent approach is favourable and staff like to have clear guidelines to follow. I would recommend that any leader ensure that their marking policy is a clear one and is consistently applied across the school. Next year, I would like to move away from whole-school marking reviews towards a departmental review cycle. I think this will make it more manageable to support

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

9 A study into Year 9 behaviour Bianca Magalhaes de Resende, Ricardo Veloso, Verona Morina, Amina Khatibi, Katrina Villanueva, Favour Ogundele, David dos Santos and Klaudia Zbikowska (Year 9 pupils)

9.1 | Introduction In the academy’s last Ofsted report (2012) it was stated that: ‘Behaviour and safety is not outstanding’. During the academic year 2012/2013, Year 9 pupils displayed the most challenging behaviour compared with the other year groups at St. Mark’s. In addition, during this academic year the number of Year 9 students achieving their target grades fell. Figure 12: Negative behaviour incidents recorded for each year group in 2012/13

Number of recorded incidents

25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Year 13

In response, eight students decided to do some research into the poor behaviour of the Year 9 group. The focus was to explore which sanctions and rewards were the most effective in changing attitudes towards learning and behaviour, with a view to supporting improvements in the behaviour and attitudes of this year group in particular.

9.2 | Methods Three key data sources were identified. Year 9 pupils’ attitudes to the rewards and sanctions used in schools were collected through a survey. This was distributed to all Year 9 pupils in a mathematics lesson. More detailed thoughts were explored in focus group discussions with two groups – a group of pupils who rarely got into trouble and a group that displayed more challenging behaviour.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

A study into Year 9 behaviour

They were asked to discuss the rewards and sanctions used in the schools and decide if they had a:

The most commonly used rewards were raffle tickets and postcards home. The most common sanctions included verbal warnings.

• high impact on motivation but low impact over time

Figure 14: Sanctions given to Year 9 pupils

• high impact on motivation and high impact over time 90

• low impact on motivation and low impact over time

• low impact on motivation but high impact over time.

In addition to this an audit of rewards and sanctions was conducted and a group of teachers completed a questionnaire about their use of rewards and sanctions.

60 50

9.3 | Key findings

The data from the audit of rewards and sanctions use shows the number of students receiving each; see Figures 13 and 14 below.

Figure 13: Rewards given to Year 9 students

100

ni ng s to te f s B c ei nt -a l a n io ss fte g C ns m fo ov all o r sc rb h e r oo d De le eh tte l te av to a rh nt io di io o u f fe m ns ra e re tl fo nt un rl cl at De as e n c h ti te s m es nt e s io - a / b re ns tl ak fo un rb ch Ti eh t m i av e o me io ut ur ro -a fte om rs Su ch bj oo ec l tr Re e fe r ra p o r t la 1 da t HC y O ex cl us H i o Si C n t ti Re O r ng ep fe ou or r ra ts t In lt Be id te o e ha rn C H V O om P v io al D pf ex ur m P cl un pa us it y r inc ne i o ip se n lw al rv s i th of Pr i c e f i ce -l in i ci pa tter du la n ty 3+ d p d a a re nt y s ex cl us io n

rl fo

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Ve r

ti o

60 De

nt en

40 30 20

Male

Female

Total

re ic bl Pu

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if t s co

at es

es ad

tif ic

se ai

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pr ha v io

9.3.1 Findings from the focus groups The following figures show how the two focus groups rated each of the rewards and sanctions commonly used.

e m ho

itiv e

Po s

rd tc a

Po s

f fl

tic

ke t

Male

Female

Total

The good group rated calls home and trip as the most effective rewards. They rated a call home, internal school referrals, sitting outside the Principal’s office and a range of exclusions as the most effective sanctions.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

A study into Year 9 behaviour

The most commonly used – raffle tickets and verbal warnings – were rated as having the least impact for a short period of time.

The challenging pupils thought that the most effective rewards were raffle tickets, certificates and marks or grades. Three-day exclusions and detentions were amongst the most effective sanctions, they thought. They rated the least effective sanctions as verbal warnings and being sent out of class.

Figure 15: Ratings of rewards and sanctions by the ‘good group’

A Year 9 student in the challenging group said that receiving a lot of sanctions reinforced the idea that they were a ‘bad student’: ‘I kept getting detentions and being sent to time out because the teachers can’t deal with me, it’s hard to change your reputation once the teachers think you are bad so I might as well be bad’.

Year 9 Focus Group 1 Impact on motivation to behave High impact on motivation

High impact on motivation

Low impact over time

High impact over time

Rewards

Sanctions

Rewards

Sanctions

• Gift

• Being moved to a different class

• Call home

• Call or letter home

• Trips

• Referral to HCO

• After school detentions

• Sitting outside principal’s office

• Referral to HODs

• Internal exclusion • All exclusions • Behaviour panel with principal and parents

Low impact on motivation

Low impact over time

High impact over time

Rewards

Sanctions

Rewards

Sanctions

• Positive praise

• Verbal warning

• Certificates

• Subject report

• Postcards

• Lunch detentions

• Marks and grades

• HCO report

• Raffle tickets

• Being out of class

• Free time • Public recognition

• Timeout room • Community service – litter picking

• Behaviour watch

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

A study into Year 9 behaviour

Figure 16: Ratings of rewards and sanctions by the ‘challenging group’

9.3.2 Questionnaire findings The questionnaires showed that students did not understand why teachers gave out the rewards and sanctions and often thought the rationale for each was not clear, fair or consistent.

Focus group 2: challenging pupils Impact on motivation to behave

High impact on motivation

Low impact over time

High impact over time

Rewards

Sanctions

Rewards

Sanctions

• Gift

• Being moved to a different class

• Raffle tickets

• 3 day exclusion

• Certificates

• Detention for behaviour after school

• Public recognition • Detention at lunchtime for lateness

• Subject report

• Marks and grades

• HCO report • Sitting outside VP or principal’s office • Panel behaviour

Low impact on motivation

Low impact over time

High impact over time

Rewards

Sanctions

Rewards

Sanctions

• Positive praise

• Verbal warning

• Postcard home

• Detentions

• Call home

• Lunch detentions

• Marks and grades

• Behaviour watch points

• Being out of class

• Community service

• Timeout room

The analysis shows that there a mismatch in the use of and the perceived

• Lunch and break detentions

The majority of students thought that some members of staff did not use the reward system and did not feel motivated to behave as a result. Also, some students felt de-motivated if rewards were not received on time. Some students thought that rewards and sanctions were used mainly in the classroom and not around school (for example for enrichment activities, corridor behaviour, uniform, student leadership and positive contributions). Students and teachers believed that only Year 7 pupils were interested in receiving rewards and thought that Year 9 pupils did not care so much about this. This does not appear to be true; in fact, analysis of Figures 15 and 16 shows that the most challenging students value seemingly ‘small’ rewards and the non-challenging students value ‘bigger’ rewards. Communication with parents is important – both the questionnaire data and the focus groups’ analysis show that pupils value parents being kept informed of behavioural success but that this is also an effective sanction when behaviour is not good.

9.4 | Reflection Our research suggested that teachers need to use the system of rewards and sanctions in a different way, use it consistently and use it in and out of the classroom for all year groups. Since we completed the research a number of changes have been instigated across the school. For example, different rewards have been introduced – such as ACE stars to motivate high achievers and points for student leadership and demonstrating the school’s values. Sanctions are followed up with calls and letters home, and information about behaviour is being shared across the school so that both students and teachers know more about each student on a weekly basis.

effectiveness of rewards and sanctions.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

10 Differentiation for pupils with English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs Karen Taylor, job title

10.1 | Overview and aims This project investigated differentiation strategies used for pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Special Educational Needs (SEN) learners. SEN and beginner EAL learners in the academy have varying levels of language, cognitive and academic development, yet are at times taught using the same differentiation strategies. My intention was to explore the range of strategies used to support both EAL and SEN students. My research involved an examination of relevant literature to gain an understanding of strategies that can be used to support SEN and EAL, observation of a lesson and a survey to find about the strategies that are in use in the academy. The research aimed to add to knowledge about provision for EAL and SEN learners and help to create an inclusive learning environment.

10.2 | Context The academy’s cohort is complex. Approximately 50 per cent of students have EAL; 35 per cent are registered as having SEN. In the academy’s latest Ofsted report (2012), the SEN intake was described as: ‘well above average, with some experiencing specific and moderate learning difficulties, and behavioural difficulties’. Recently there has been an increase in the number of newly arrived EAL students with limited English to the academy; however, the number of specialist teachers and teaching assistants has remained unchanged. The connection between the two, or rather the lack of a connection between pupils with SEN and EAL pupils, means that teachers at St Mark’s do not currently know if pupils have both EAL and SEN. There is reason to suggest that there are a small proportion of pupils who might – this is suggested by increasing numbers of EAL pupils, some of whom do well and others who do not. The school needs to establish a means of assessing the SEN needs of all EAL learners. Until that is in place an exploration of the strategies used to support both groups of pupils will help to ensure that individual pupil needs are met.

10.1 SEN literature The draft SEN Code of Practice (DfE, 2013) identifies a child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Differentiation for pupils with English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs

• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age • has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. Learners who have difficulties acquiring literacy skills are categorised as having cognition and learning difficulties (DfE, 2013: 63). Interestingly, EAL learners are not mentioned in the DfE document except to say that particular care is required when identifying or assessing learners with English as an additional language. The document states: ‘Schools […] should look carefully at all aspects of a […] young person’s performance in different areas of learning and development or subjects to establish whether lack of progress is due to limitations in their command of English or if it arises from a SEN or both’ (DfE, 2013, emphasis added). This suggests that an EAL learner could have SEN; however, it also reminds us that the needs of an EAL student are different to those of a learner with SEN. One challenge is to establish, where EAL students demonstrate a lack of progress, whether this is the result of SEN. Non-EAL learners in the academy present with a range of literacy difficulties which stop them from being able to access the curriculum. For some students this is dyslexia, a learning difference that has been recognised as a disability in the Equality Act 2010 (Saunders, 2013: 21). Saunders, a specialist in the field, explained that learners with dyslexia were often ‘good at things once they become a motor habit’ (Saunders, 2013: 21). Saunders explained that the key to teaching learners with dyslexia was to ‘keep it multi-sensory – physically doing something as well as hearing and seeing it’. Dyslexia is a controversial topic; recent media articles suggested that it does not exist (Knapton, 2014) suggesting ‘more focus should be put on helping children to read, rather than finding a label for their difficulty’. Despite its aim of avoiding labels, this statement acknowledges that students have learning needs which require support. To support these students in their learning, the following strategies have been recommended: recognise learner strengths; use multi-sensory as well as multimemory methods (e.g. visual aids, sound and colour for every teaching point); aid the working memory by breaking down or chunking instructions; place

colourful information around the classroom (Saunders, 2013). Speech and Language and Communication Need (SPLCN) is another label applied to some learners in the academy. The framework for the national curriculum report published in 2011 put a focus on SPLCN in schools (Special Children, 2012; DfE, 2011: 52). From September 2014 speech, language and communication skills have been included in all areas of the curriculum (ibid.) because in areas of social deprivation, ‘There is a compelling body of evidence that highlights the connection between oral development, cognitive development and educational attainment’. The report goes on to say that ‘language needs’ should be incorporated across the whole curriculum not just English (ibid.). In 2009, government research into SPLCN led to the Bercow Report (DCSF, 2008) which suggested teachers needed SPLCN training to help this group of learners. In response to this development, the academy has trained a Higher Level Teaching Assistant to deliver a speech and language programme. Some learners with SPLCN struggle to understand figurative or non-literal speech, suggests McMinn (2002). A learner told to wait two minutes may wonder why a response has not been received after 120 seconds. The statement, ‘Shall we pack away now?’ could be taken as a question with a ‘yes’/’no’ option and the choice not to clear away taken (ibid.). Learners with SPLCN are no different from their peers in terms of cognitive ability but they may need help to consolidate work that has already been taught and/ or use visual images to help them communicate; they may benefit from paired or group work, recording work using visual images and words or gap-fill activities with pictograms (ibid.). A quick look at the literature on EAL language acquisition suggest there are phases to learning as well as structures of support that are connected to good practice. Linguist specialist Cummins suggested that EAL learners move through various phases when acquiring language (Cummins, 2000). The initial phase for learners is ‘cognitively demanding’, ‘context embedded’ and reliant on the use of simple language, face-to-face gestures, objects and images for understanding. The final phases of language acquisition are not so demanding and rely less on the context to support understanding. In this phase, less visual support is required for learners to be able to understand what is taught (Madyarov, 2009).

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Differentiation for pupils with English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs

At the academy, specialist practitioners support beginner EAL learners in the classroom and in small groups. This support remains in place until their language acquisition is proficient. At this point, in-class support is provided by teaching assistants who are experienced with working with EAL learners. Coelho writes that children need support ‘ideally provided by specialist language teachers’ (Coelho, 2012: 36).

meet his needs. This observation highlighted that further support or strategies for teaching beginner learners are required.

10.4.2 Questionnaire Teachers reported the use of a range of strategies in their classes including: ‘Activities modelled with the use of visual aids’

10.3 | Methods

‘Visual images used to support instruction’

Observations and a questionnaire were used to gather data.

‘Interaction encouraged through collaborative learning’

10.3.1 Observation

‘Assessment data used to plan lessons’

It was suggested that I observe the differentiation in a Year 10 humanities lesson in which half of the students had EAL and small number of students had very little English. Some learners in the group had SEN. During the lesson I noted the strategies used by the teacher.

‘Writing frames used to scaffold learning.’ Figure 17: Activities modelled with the use of visual aids (n=25)

10.3.2 Questionnaire Yes

The questionnaire was informed by both the literature and the observation. The questionnaire was split into two parts, of which the second included open questions which allowed teachers to record how they felt the SEN/ EAL team could help them to support the literacy needs of learners in their classroom. Understanding the needs of the teacher would inform any recommendations to be made.

Sometimes

Altogether 60 teachers were surveyed; a total of 25 responded.

10.4 | Findings 10.4.1 Observation

Figure 17 illustrates that 52 per cent of staff use visual aids to model activities. Over 40 per cent of staff are not using visual aids to model concepts. Support with preparing resources was a request from many of the respondents.

During the lesson I observed the teacher used differentiated instruction activities which were displayed on the interactive whiteboard. Students were able to choose their task based on the level they hoped to achieve in their exam. I focused the observation on one EAL pupil. There was one workbook for a beginner learner available. The pupil completed some of the tasks but left others. He spent some time sitting quietly, or with his head on the table, listening. While listening is a recognised and important activity for beginner EAL learners (Cummins, 2000) the support offered to this pupil through the differentiated activities did not seem to

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Differentiation for pupils with English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs

Figure 18: Visual images are used to support instruction

Yes

Figure 20: Practitioners’ use of assessment data used to plan lessons

Yes

Sometimes

Sometimes 19

Figure 18 illustrates that 56 per cent of practitioners use visual images to support learners, whereas 5 per cent do not. Additional feedback received from practitioners requested support and suggestions for resources.

Figure 20 illustrates that nearly all staff always use assessment data to plan lessons. Figure 21: Practitioners’ use of writing frames to scaffold learning

Figure 19: Interaction encouraged through collaborative learning 1

Yes

Sometimes

Sometimes 20 No No

Figure 19 demonstrates that collaborative learning is encouraged by all practitioners in the academy. Collaboration helps learners to practise their language skills as well as consolidate their cognitive and academic skills. It is good to see staff using this strategy in the classroom.

Figure 21 shows that 55 per cent of staff in the academy use writing frames to support learning. Again, practitioners have asked for support in creating resources. This research identified that both types of learners receive instruction that uses visual cues and collaboration. Practitioners indicated in the questionnaire how frequently visual cues and collaborative tasks were included in lessons when teaching – most teachers modelled with the use of visual aids and most said they used visual images to support instruction. The literature also suggested that SEN learners benefit from peer support and

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Differentiation for pupils with English as an Additional Language and Special Educational Needs

collaborative learning. When asked if interaction was encouraged through collaborative learning, nearly all practitioners answered Yes. Practitioners also reported that they use additional supportive strategies such as word banks for students to choose from to label diagrams, assessment data to plan lessons, and writing frames to scaffold learning.

10.5 | Reflections Teacher feedback indicated the wish to learn strategies for teaching learners who do not have English as a first language; to observe lessons being taught by specialist teachers so that they apply the techniques learned to their lessons; and to collaborate with the EAL and SEN department to be able to create resources for learning. Examples of practitioner requests were: ‘More information on stages of EAL learning’ ‘EAL-specific tried and proven strategies to help beginners to access t he curriculum’ ‘Provide staff with the opportunities to gain the knowledge and understanding to better support EAL children and their backgrounds’ ‘More knowledge on best way to support learning (SEN)’. Another interesting theme that arose was resources. Some practitioners commented that they would like: ‘More in-class support SEN booklets’ ‘Help create EAL booklets for topics, introduction activities for new students’ ‘EAL students to carry a key words translation booklet.’ The EAL team have worked collaboratively with some departments to create workbooks. The SEN team have not, although strategies such as phonics could be shared. Research by Salend and Whittaker (2002) identified that inclusive classrooms benefited when educators share ‘all instructional assessment… and expertise’. A further recommendation is for the EAL and SEN team to work collaboratively with the departments to create workbooks that can be used as tools for differentiation.

References Coelho, E. (2012) Language and learning in a multilingual classrooms – a practical approach. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Cummins, J. (2000) Language, power and pedagogy. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. DfE (2011) The Framework for the National Curriculum. A report by the expert panel for the National Curriculum review. London: Department for Education. [Online] available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/175439/NCR-Expert_Panel_Report.pdf DfE (2013) Draft special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years. [Online] available from: https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/ downloadableDocs/Draft%20SEN%20Code%20of%20Practice.pdf Knapton, S. (2014) Dyslexia may not exist, warn academics [Online] available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10661412/Dyslexiamay-not-exist-warn-academics.html Madyarov, I. (2009) ‘Widening access to education: a case for biuligmnual distance curriculum.’ International journal of instructional technology and distance learning, 6 (3). McMinn, J. (2002) Supporting children with speech and language impairment. London: Bloomsbury. Salend, S. & Whittaker, C. (2012) ‘Inclusive education: best practices in the United States.’ In C. Boyle, & K. Topping (eds.) What works in inclusion. Maidenhead: Open University Press, pp.66–80. Saunders, K.D. (2013) ‘Dyslexia a learning difference.’ Special children. Aug/Sept, 21–23. Special Children (2012) Speech and language focus for the National Curriculum. [Online] available from: http://specialchildren-magazine.com/news/speechand-language-focus-national-curriculum DCSF (2008) The Bercow report: a review of services for children and young people (0–19) with speech, language and communication needs. [Online, available from: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/http://www. education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/Bercow-Summary.pdf

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

11 Mastering mathematics through the use of peer collaboration and student leadership Stella Gbolonyo, job title

11.1 | Introduction This research focused on the effectiveness of adopting the principles of Mathematics Mastery as a revitalising pedagogical approach to teaching mathematics. The principle of Mathematics Mastery is that pupils develop greater depth and understanding of mathematical concepts (Mathematics Mastery, 2013) through the use of peer collaboration and student leadership; in this way pupils will be able to demonstrate their understanding of mathematical concepts. In this context ‘student leadership’ refers to pupils taking ownership and displaying leadership qualities in lessons, for example, pupils’ ability to pose questions which direct learning to an enquiry model. There has been an increase in the promotion of student leadership across the academy. Another example of how student leadership was applied was to give pupils in Key Stage 3 an opportunity to effectively plan and execute mathematics lessons. Similarly at St Mark’s there has been an increase in collaborative learning amongst staff as well as pupils. Peer collaboration in this context will be regarded as pupils working together through a mathematical task which requires higher-order thinking and furthermore increases opportunities for leadership qualities to emerge. When tasks are challenging, this often brings together a cohesion which requires discussing through the task to solve it. Mercer and Sams, (2006) suggest that the use of mathematical language is also an important factor in the collaboration. Key Stage 2 pupils were selected as the research group with the explicit aim being to unite the teaching of mathematics throughout all key stages and allowing insight into pupils’ prior learning and the ways that this can be built upon. An additional outcome of this project would be to build stronger relationships between St Mark’s and local feeder primary schools.

11.2 | Context St Mark’s Academy takes every opportunity to celebrate pupils’ successes and where possible share this with the wider community. At present open evenings and opening mornings are some of the main ways of attracting prospective pupils to the academy. During these event, the burning question on most, if not all, parents’ minds is the quality of teaching and learning at the academy. Parents want to be assured that their child will succeed here at St Mark’s. The Year 5/6 Project provided pupils with the opportunity to experience first-hand teaching and

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Mastering mathematics through the use of peer collaboration and student leadership

learning of core subjects at St Mark’s. The quality of teaching and learning remains a fundamental priority of the academy.

11.3 | Research aims The aim of this research was to investigate teaching and learning strategies for mathematics which could be used to ease the transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. The strategies used in this research were peer collaboration and student leadership. The two central research questions were as follows: 1. Can pupils master mathematics with the use of peer collaboration? 2. Can student leadership be used as an effective tool for mastering mathematics?

11.4 | Methodology A mixed methods approach (Cameron, 2011) was used to collect data, including quantitative and qualitative methods. Year 8 pupils acted as co-researchers in order to assess peer leadership as a pedagogical intervention. A total of 38 pupils and six members of staff from six local primary schools from the local borough were involved in Mathematics Mastery sessions at the academy. For ethical reasons it is essential to protect participants’ confidentiality and to keep all the schools involved in this research anonymous. The sample was separated into two groups. Group 1 consisted of pupils ranging from level 4a to 6, and group 2 consisted of pupils with attainment levels ranging from 4c to 5b. Both groups attended classes once a week for two terms. Five Year 8 students from St Mark’s were also given the opportunity to teach pupils from local primary schools. These pupils had experience of teaching a mathematics lesson to their peers which demonstrated confidence and great strength in their subject knowledge. These pupils were also interviewed. At the end of every session pupils were encouraged to reflect on whether or not they were able to master topics and/or core skills. Comments from the pupils and staff regarding their thoughts about each session were collected and analysed.

Staff and pupils from the primary schools were asked to complete a questionnaire/ feedback form at the end of each term. Questions consisted of open questions and used a rating scale. An example of the questions asked was how much they perceived these sessions to contribute to their progress in mathematics.

11.5 | Key findings All pupils and staff reported that they enjoyed the mathematics sessions. Feedback provided by key stakeholders (e.g. the head of Key Stage 3) and headteachers from the primary link schools was very positive. Staff Staff thought that the sessions had been ‘engaging’, ‘enjoyable’ and resulted in pupils being: ‘more confident about going to secondary school’. Key Stage 2 pupils Pupils reported that they felt confident in the progress that they had made. Pupils in both groups also reported that they enjoyed working collaboratively with others and most enjoyed the opportunity to demonstrate student leadership within their groups. Pupils in group 1 enjoyed the Year 8 pupils teaching them. They thought that it made them more confident about attending secondary school and being able to speak to older students. These pupils requested that the Year 8 pupils continue to teach them. The majority of pupils enjoyed working in groups; in particular pupils enjoyed working with pupils from other schools and considered it an easy way to make friends. The Year 8 pupils The five Year 8 students reported that they found this experience extremely rewarding and felt that they themselves had become experts in the topics of mathematics which they were teaching – through their own independent research and having to relay this information to others to understand. All participants reported that collaboration was more likely when a task was challenging and required discussion to complete work. This was true for both the most able and the lower-ability pupils.

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

Mastering mathematics through the use of peer collaboration and student leadership

Overall, pupils reported that these sessions had contributed to their progress, confidence and success over time.

11.6 | Reflection This research provided me with an opportunity to gain insight into some of the teaching and learning strategies which primary school students are exposed to through informal discussions with pupils and staff members. I was able to reflect on my own practice and develop a deeper understanding of the way the pupils express their preference for learning. This is turn has caused me to consider implications for what mathematical support I can offer pupils during their transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. An extension to this research could be to continue to liaise with primary schools through discussions, observations and team teaching where possible. Although this presents some challenges, mainly in finding suitable times to work together across schools, I hope this report builds a foundation for developing greater communication between primary school and secondary school teachers. The opportunity to build greater understanding and continuity would support learning through the transition from one phase of education to the next.

References Cameron, R. (2011) ‘Mixed methods research: the five Ps framework.’ Business research methods 9 (2), 96–108. Mathematics Mastery (2013) Mathematics mastery. [Online] available from: <http://www.mathematicsmastery.org> [Accessed January 2013] Mercer, N. and Sams, C. (2006) ‘Teaching children how to use language to solve maths problems.’ Language and education 20 (6)

Action research at St Mark’s Church of England Academy 2014

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